For the Contest: Paper Cranes
by Kyoyama Daphne
Summary: For one who had remained indifferent her whole life, ice would stay frozen forever. How they came to be; Yoh & Anna from the very beginning... Love is hellos, goodbyes and gossamer. Osorezan revoir. Osorezan au revoir. For SK-fan's contest. 3-part story.
1. Part 1

For SK-fan7's contest; under sub-subject "e" for Osorezan Revior. This will be a three part story, and I intend to finish it until Friday. I hope you like this I would very much appreciate some feedback from you guys… Happy Valentine's Day!

_**Part One**_

_**.**_

_The one who awaits you_

_Will never let you feel lonely_

_Know this at least_

_Know this at least_

_._

She walked down the empty cobbled road, the chilly breeze carrying the sound of her footfalls to unknown places. The streets of Aomori were empty; with the exception of a couple shopkeepers peeking out from the fogged windows of their shops to see if there were any potential customers. Tiny snowflakes swirled around in the air, as if invisible ropes were pulling them from side to side. She focused her attention on them, choosing to empty her mind by watching them flail about, then slowly fall to the ground where they be added to the thin layer of snow that covered the sidewalk. She watched them be carried away by the wind; she watched them fly away until she could no longer see them. She watched the few that fell on her pale hands melt. They all disappeared. Everything disappeared.

Passing by the rare inhabited houses, she could hear their voices. They jumped around in her head like a disoriented swarm of bees. Sometimes they stung; and she knew that if they started to sting too much, someone would get hurt more than her. She pushed each little stab back, throwing them aside and trying to make them disappear like the snowflakes. She didn't want those feelings in her anymore; she feared the ones she could understand. She understood hate, remorse, envy, anguish… They were the ones she knew well; the ones she could relate to in one way or another. Then there were others that felt too far off into the distance. She knew what they were, but she had no experience to say what they would feel like.

So she ignored them, instead of adding their meaning to the long list of burdens she had to carry. She walked alone, her companions the wind and the snow.

.

_The one who awaits you_

_Will never let you feel lonely_

_Know this at least_

_Know this at least_

_._

Then there he was, standing amidst the sidewalk, yelling at someone who she knew normal people couldn't see. He stared at her with a dumbstruck expression; she offered him a sharp glared of her own.

"You're blocking traffic. Die." She said, peering right into his widened eyes. Then she walked passed him, continuing along the road, ignoring every single word he uttered behind her. Stopping a couple of feet before him again, she huffed in annoyance.

"Yoh Asakura. I'm supposed to marry _that?" _she said slowly, letting her words sink in; clearly aware of the effect they would elicit on this airhead husband-to be of hers and not afraid to exploit it.

She walked away again, feeling his shock, feeling his confusion. Feeling his desperation to understand…to understand why this total stranger had acted in such a way towards him. He was weak and immature. Another burden. Why had Kino-sensei chosen this happy-go-lucky slacker as her future husband? She didn't have the faintest idea. But she wondered…

She wondered what it might be like; to feel those emotions she could not yet comprehend. To feel joy, hope, trust… even love…. Maybe one day, there would be someone, perhaps this boy. Maybe one day she would feel them all these distant emotions at the same time. Then she would get a third companion, one that would still hang around even when winter came to an end.

.

xxxxx

.

_Abandoned on the streets_

_Desolate_

_Sulking in the shadows_

_Feeling the weight of the world_

_Love is hellos, goodbyes and gossamer_

_Mt. Osore le voile_

_._

_xxxxx_

.

He sat in front of the wooden table, fiddling with a frayed seam on the cloth that covered it. The split tailed cat stood close to him, already lost in his book. Kino Asakura stood by the table in waiting.

So many things had happened in the course of just a couple of hours. So many unanswered questions, and so many left to ask. For the time being, the demon didn't bother him. Matamune had finished it off pretty easily, he would learn how to do it… somehow. That matter was beyond him at the moment, and he was not one to dwell on issues that were above him. Though there was another issue, one which he couldn't yet decide if beneath or above him. Maybe it was right at the same level. That girl…

Over the years, he had met many people who had behaved hostile towards him at first sight. Hostility wasn't anything foreign to him. He had survived through it his entire childhood, he was used to it by this point. A death threat on the other hand… now that was new. Never in his life had anyone told him to _die _simply because he was standing in their way. The rest of the conversation had left his already confused mind in an even worse state. "_Yoh Asakura._ _I'm supposed to marry that?" _He recalled, shuddering slightly. So that was his chosen fiancé…

She was the reason he had made this journey from Izumo. That was the girl he was betrothed to marry. The idea made a cold chill, that had nothing to do with the snow, run through his body. _Scary, _he thought to himself. Though he was reluctant to admit it, the girl had scared him out of his wits.

Maybe it was the cold expression that had never left her face. Or perhaps it was her icy tone that had affected him to most; and the unsettled stream of energy that started from _her, _and flew right over to him. Whatever it was, he hoped it went away quickly.

He heard the creek of metal hinges, a moment later he could hear the shuffling of light feet in the hall way. The shouji door that separated the entrance from the living room where he sat with Kino and Matamune cracked open. One half of a pale face peeked through the opening. Her blonde hair fell across her eyes, shielding them from Yoh; but even through that tiny part of them that he could see, he caught the pain buried deep in them. It baffled him, to see emotions so strong twisting and turning inside the mind of one so young. He had never though it possible, but apparently he had been wrong.

"Here." She stated solemnly, dropping the plastic bag full of groceries by the door, then sliding it shut. It fell to the ground with a dull thud. Yoh stared at the bag for a second or two, watching as a couple of articles fell out and rolled off in opposite directions.

Silence. That was how his future fiancé had officially greeted him. That was what he would live with for the rest of his life. He didn't want to count the death threat as their official meeting. No, he would rather throw that memory away. This one, as disturbing as it was, was more pleasant than the latter.

"What kind of a greeting was that?" he yelled, making Matamune look up from his book for the first time since they had gotten home.

"It _was _her! I didn't get a good look at her face but – " Yoh started, but his words were cut off by his grandmother.

"Don't bother. It won't do any good… to yell at her."

"What? I came all this way to see her, and she threatened to kill me! What am I supposed to do? I know you wouldn't have chosen her if she didn't have a lot of talent but... you've spoilt her! Her manners stink."

His eyebrows furrowed in frustration as he stared at the aged itako, awaiting her explanation.

"Young fool." She said curtly, glaring at him with eyes that couldn't see. "Words mean nothing…to Anna."

.

.

XXXXXX

.

.

Behind the closed door, the blonde girl stood frozen. Words… what did words really mean to her? Her shoulders slumped and she dragged her feet back to her room at the very edge of the corridor. Sliding her door open, she stepped inside, and slammed it back in place. She stared around the room, trying to conjure up something that interested her, but came away cold. Her frown still etched on her face, he threw herself on her bed, curling into a ball.

Small.

Weak.

Yet somehow still strong.

He shut her eyes tight, squeezing her fists to the point where she started to lose feeling in them. She liked it. She liked not feeling anything; she only wished it would work on parts of her other than her hands.

She didn't want to feel anymore.

_._

_Each night she patiently bears_

_The endless mystery in solitude_

_A thousand black paper cranes_

_Not folding _

_Not folding_

_._


	2. Part 2

**Part 2**

.

_Each day she patiently bears_

_The endless mystery in solitude_

_A thousand black paper cranes_

_Not folding_

_Not folding_

_._

She stood in the doorway of the little cluttered shop, peering at the brown haired boy who stood with his back turned to her.

"What are you thinking pervert?" she asked skeptically, now identifying the object of his interest. He turned around, horror struck.

"What? I mean.. n-nothing!" he stuttered, dropping the box of ear picks back on the shelf.

"Who would like those naked girls? They're disgusting." She stated. Her expression was somber, and her tone was emotionless as usual.

"No! – Wait! I didn't say that out loud?" he yelled, now backing away from her in a mixture of shock and confusion.

"That's why I asked… what were you _thinking_. So who are they?" She hesitated for a moment, staring at the wooden plated floor of the souvenir shop. "Oh.. I see.. They're the animal spirits that guard you house. But they look so disgusting. Especially the raccoon dog. I'd like to slap his face."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she continued to stare at the floor. She did. She did want to slap him. Him and everybody else. In her peripheral vision, she watched as his eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped a little.

"How did you know? And…how did you know who I was if you've never seen me before? And why didn't you speak to me when you got home yesterday? And that demon! What's going on? Who are you?"

He jumped on her, arms gripping her bony shoulders. Her eyes grew wide as the shock of his actions swept across her. Then they were replaced by hate as anger flooded through her veins, now replacing the surprise. Her hand lifted up in a swift motion.

He was on the floor.

"I told you not to get chummy with me." She told him, her right arm still raised. Eyes dark, she stared at his quivering figure.

"Oww what was that for?" he protested. "Didn't you come here to speak to me?" He looked up, and saw that a single tear was starting to form at the corner of her eye. Her face fell into a pained scowl.

"Don't get…close to me. I'll only bring you grief." Her voice was raspy, it broke in odd places. She tried to swallow the lump now forming in her throat, but failed miserably.

"I came to say goodbye. There are plenty of itako out there. Find yourself a nice one." She said icily.

Her arm fell to her side with a dull thud. She turned away from the boy still sprawled on the floor. Now facing the door, she spoke again.

"Goodbye. But thanks anyway…"

Then she walked out without as much as a second glance at him. The cool air soothed her now burning cheeks. She did not remember the last time she had thanked someone. Not out of respect, but out of gratitude.

.

_She carries on bravely_

_But the smile is there_

_Unexplained, longing for mementos_

_Love is hellos, goodbyes and gossamer_

_Mt. Osore le Voile_

_._

_.xxx_

_._

She watched as he ran in and out of the shop, the front glass now shattered. The demon followed him, breaking anything that dared get in its path. She feared he would be the next thing to be broken. She saw him reach for his sword. Eyes growing wide once more, she sucked in a sharp gust of air. A sword? He planned to use a sword against a demon? That idiot… _Yoh Asakura… You'd dare fight a demon? Don't you have any fear? _She thought as he positioned himself before the creature, arms gripping the hilt tightly.

"Anna! Run!" he yelled. Her fault. It would be her fault if he got hurt. She was sure he would. _Run? _He wanted her to run? _Could _she run? She didn't know. All she could do was stand paralyzed as this unusual boy braced himself for attack.

"I'll take care of the demon! Run back to grandma's house and get Matamune!"

She stared at the boy. That sword wouldn't do any good, she knew. Demons could only be defeated by other demons. Run away? How could she run away when he was still there. _Run away Yoh Asakura…_

"Get out of its way Yoh!"

Her voice.. she didn't recognize it. Even her own voice now seemed foreign to her. He hesitated for a second, and in that moment he saw the edges of the demon disintegrating. It burst into hundreds of pieces, now nothing more than a barrage of will-o'-the-wisps. They slowly dissolved into the air as he fell down on the hard wood floor. He pushed himself up against an overturned shelf and tried to comprehend what had just happened. What he had done… What _she _had done…

Anna had cried out. And with her voice the demon had diminished. But Anna… she had looked more confused than anyone. He didn't understand it, and Anna or Kino weren't doing much to help. He turned towards the door, and saw that the blonde's slim figure was slowly backing away from the cluttered shop. He got up, and this time wordlessly followed her down the snowy path. He did not understand her. Yet again, nobody understood her.

.

_A ghost for a thousand years_

_I am finally discarding_

_These lonely tears_

_If only for a time_

_If only for a time._

_._

They sat in the living room, a couple of feet apart from each other. They're ongoing conversation about the singers of their favor was slowly fading.

"She only looks scary. She dresses that way and acts tough to hide her vulnerability" Anna stated. She lowered her head, and spoke in her hushed tone that he was growing accustomed to.

"It's actually a song.. of deep compassion"

He smiled. "Well, that's how you are too, right?" Her head whipped around to stare at him. "Well, I can kinda tell. A lot has happened since I got here. I know you had a hard life." He turned to her quizzical face, his smile knowing, his eyes kind. "You can read thoughts, right?"

So he had understood. He knew what she could do. Her face fell, now emitting pain. "Nothing good ever happens around me. What more do you need to know. You should go…"

"I'm not going home." She let out an annoyed huff. He was such a pain. "How can I live easy while you suffer?" She turned away from him.

"Don't patronize me." She snapped.

"I'm not. I want to help you because It'll make me feel better."

"But that _is _patronizing! I don't care whether you can live easy. I can't stand people! Why don't you take a hint?" she yelled. He infuriated her. He really did. And that carefree attitude was getting on her nerves. Her left hand twitched.

"Well.. you know…" he mumbled, intentionally facing away from her for the first time. He felt the blush creeping up onto his cheeks. _She's kinda cute._ He thought. "It really sucks that you can read minds.

Her eyes grew wide as his thoughts hit her. Her cheeks were flaming by the time her arm raised above her head.

"Wierdo!" she yelled, hand slamming down on his face. She got up abruptly, scurrying out of the living room. Her room. She needed her room. She ran down the dimly lit corridor, and burst into her bedroom, slamming the shouji doors behind her.

He sighed. It was worth it. Slowly, he got up and followed her footsteps down the corridor. The thin double doors didn't do much to mask her shaky breaths as he approached her room.

"Hey Anna."

She felt her heart lurch. He had followed her. Again.

"We could watch them ring out the old year on TV. And then, you wanna go to the temple together at midnight? The crowds might be hard on you, but it's the best time of the year to make a wish. Don't you want to do something about your power?"

Wishing.. As if that would do any good. She stared at her feet. She knew she wanted to accept, but one small part of her kept her rooted to her spot.

"I…But…"

"If the crowds bother you and a demon appears, We'll run away together. And if our wishes don't make your power bearable, that's okay too. I'll become the Shaman King and fix it for you."

He scratched his head, thanking kami there was a door between them. He was almost certain this conversation would have earned him another good slap.

"I'll be waiting for you."

She felt the tears sliding down her still burning cheeks. Her shoulders shook with their vigor. He only wanted to help, yet she was pushing him away all the time. But people were all cruel. She didn't trust anyone, she would never trust a single soul. But for some reason, she couldn't stop the next word from coming out of her mouth.

"Okay…"

_I'm glad there's a wall between us too. _She thought absently.

.

_My feeble heart fell_

_I am finally departing_

_From this heavy hollow shell_

_Though there is no grave_

_Though there is no grave_

_._


	3. Part 3

**Part 3**

.

_I lived a long life_

_Filled with heartbreak_

_Yet every new year, _

_I awoke to joy_

_Love is hellos, goodbyes and gossamer_

_Mt. Osore le voile_

_._

He sat in the empty compartment, staring at the package Kino-sensei had given him. His mind wandered back, to the events of the previous day.

He remembered all of it.

He remembered her scream, her desperation when the demon had snatched her and taken her away. He had sensed her fear, if only for a moment. So even the strongest had fears…. He remembered the hate. Her hate against all the world. The all consuming grudge she held against all humans. He remembered her shock, at even the slightest kindness. He would fix all of it. He had promised her.

Pictures of the blond haired girl flashed across his mind.

_I love someone… _The words she spoke, they bounced around in his head.

She was a mystery to him, one he would probably never manage to fully understand. She had been through too much; and he had not yet seen enough to comprehend all of it. He was getting closer though. He had lost Matamune, and that had made him see what loss was about. Thinking of the split tailed cat put the usual lump in his throat. His lunges burned for oxygen as he gritted his teeth in an effort to stop his tears. He would have time for mourning later. One day, one day he would be as strong as the cat's former master, and he would bring him back.

_Promises…_

He looked back at the little package he still held in his hands.

"I wonder what it is…" he said to himself.

"Why don't you just open it?"

"Yeah okay…" He raised his hand, then stopped in mid-move; finally realizing that he wasn't alone in the compartment. He turned around, hand shaking, and saw the girl who stood before him. Her usual white kimono was now replaced by a severe black dress and light jacket. Her face was no longer pained, instead it was placid. It betrayed no emotions.

"Long time no see."

"AN-!"

_Slap._

"Not so loud, you'll bother the other passengers." She said, walking over to the seat opposite him and plopping down. He rubbed his cheek and stared at her.

"What are you doing here? And that outfit?"

"I'm better now." She said solemnly. "You defeated my demons. I thought I was hopeless but after what you did, I decided to try to learn to control my power." She said, staring directly into his eyes with her two onyx orbs. "I never want to suffer like that again." Her eyes narrowed.

"I want to be strong."

"I'm glad to hear it." said Yoh, cold sweat pouring down his face. _She's plenty strong right now…_

"...So I just wanted to say…Thank you."

"Okay."

"And I'll get off at the next station…"

They sat in the compartment as the train rattled down the track. Neither of them looked at each other. He didn't understand her, still. She had taken the train from one station to the next just to thank him. She was different, that he could say with confidence. Maybe a bit harsh, but he would cope with it. _She's cute when she's not hitting me… _he thought, remembering too late her ability to read minds.

The blush came back to her cheeks, and he smiled.

The conductor announced the next stop, and she got up, her back to him.

"I'm gonna hold you to your promise." She started. "I don't think I'll forgive you if you let me down."

He cringed at her icy tone. Of course she wouldn't forget. Neither would he. He felt fearful tears spilling from his eyes. Each time he had seen her, she had managed to make him cry.

.

She hopped down the train and watched as her husband-to-be waved at her from his open window. She spun around, not wanting him to see her face. She was glad she had gone to the trouble of seeing him again, even for such a short while. Her hands balled into fists at her side, knuckles blanching against her already fair skin. She touched her cheek, and realized the moisture there wasn't the snow melting on her face.

_Goodbye. _

_._

_Though I am undeserving_

_I have felt the greatest of joys_

_Life is ever changing._

_Though it is often cruel_

_I do not mind_

_Please, give me a smile_

_._

It's hard to comprehend love. Sometimes you just don't. You simply chose to give in and stop questioning its meaning. Sometimes it hides behind a slap, sometimes it hides behind a smile. For her, it was both.

As a person who had lived in a box of glass; seeing the outside world but never being able to exist in it; she was certain that ice would stay frozen forever. From where she stood, once one was corrupted, they would stay that way forever. And she had accepted it fully. She had, even if hesitantly, accepted that she would hate the world. She hadn't cared at the time. If the world hated her, she didn't see anything wrong in a little mutual dislike. Kino tolerated her, so she had extended some respect. The rest… she never cared about.

Then he came along, and she wasn't familiar with the feelings he brought on with him. No, they were one of those feeling that she sometimes picked up while passing a random person, and threw to a side of her mind, leaving them to rot and eventually completely dissipate. Taking them in made her lose control, and that was a luxury she had never been able to have. Ever. Instead, she pushed everything away; every feeling, every memory, everything that had ever crossed her mind. She ignored the world that ignored her.

But nothing lasted forever.

She walked down the cobbled street, wind biting into her skin as her steps progressed. She watched as the snowflakes swirling around stuck to the thin fabric of her jacket; watched as they melted in and disappeared into the seams. Some fell to the ground, vanishing from sight. She watched as they melted away.

In her reflection on the cold train window, she watched as her tears slowly dried on her cheeks. They disappeared. And so did the ice. .

.

_Though no letter of love_

_My poem is through_

_Soon my soul will enjoy_

_A more heavenly view_

_Love is hello's goodbyes and gossamer_

_Mt. Osore le voile_

_Mt. Osore au revoir_

_._

She sat on the couch, holding the paper envelope in her hand; the blond haired boy balanced on her lap. A tall dark haired man entered the room with two mugs in his hand. She looked up at him, smiling.

"Kino-sensei sent us something." She said, placing the envelope on the table to take one of the mugs. He sat down next to her and reached for it, turning it around in his hands and examining the writing on it. The blond haired boy shifted on her lap, obviously curious. The man laughed.

"Why don't you open it, Hana?"

His chocolate eyes grew wide for a second, and then a brilliant smile lit up his face. He handed the envelope to him. His little fingers worked their way under the latch and he popped it open. Taking its contents out, he focused his attention of the piece of paper. After what seemed like a lot of hard thinking, he handed the little square to the woman whose lap he was sitting on.

"Mommy, who are these people?"

She took the paper gingerly, setting he mug back on the table. The other two watched, as her eyes shot open and her jaw fell. She swallowed.

The picture was old, and slightly faded. Two people, with their backs against the camera sat a couple of feet apart. A boy and a girl. The girl's hair was matted, her back ramrod straight, maybe uncomfortable; whereas the boy sat cross legged on her right, seemingly relaxed. She passed the picture to the man sitting next to her.

He took it in his hands and stared at it for a moment or two.

"Who are they?" the boy whined again.

He broke into a grin putting one arm around the woman's shoulders and turning them both the same way as to give the little boy a better view. He held the picture up and waited for him to give an answer.

"That's…mommy and daddy?" he asked.

"Yes that's us." He said, nodding and giving the picture back to his wife.

"They don't look like mommy and daddy." He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's us, when we were kids…" said the man, eyeing his wife.

"But… why aren't you facing the camera?" asked Hana, still not fully convinced.

The man looked at his wife, and sighed. "There were a lot of things we didn't face back then, the camera is just one of them…" he said slowly. The woman frowned. Hana, on the other hand, seemed to be bored already. He hopped off his mother's lap and ran for the door, picking up a little rubber ball on his way out.

The woman continued to scowl at the picture.

"But that was the past…" the tall man finished, placing a kiss on her forehead before taking the drained mugs in his hands and following his son out the door.

Anna sat on the couch, the photo still clutched in her hands. Her lips twisted up ever so slightly.

Yes, that was the past. That was _their _past.

She got up and walked to the fireplace across the room, setting the picture next to one of a family. A dark haired man with a goofy grin, standing next to a blonde woman with a small smile on her delicate face; holding a baby with the same golden hair in her arms.

This was their future. This was now.

And she would hold on to it.

.

_Love is hellos, goodbyes and gossamer_

_Mt. Osore le voile_

_Mt. Osore au revoir_

…

…

_OWARI_

…

…

_**/a.n./ Well, that's all everyone. I hope you enjoyed that; I know I really enjoyed writing it. ^_^ Feel free to drop a review, I'd really love to know your thoughts!**_


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